Accidents Will Happen
by PaperScribbles
Summary: Nothing is ever easy when it comes to the Straw Hats, but that's what makes it fun. In which the crew don't act like pirates and Nami learns that things are better than she thought.


He takes the paint cans from the storage closet and it all goes downhill from there.

Nami warned him, with her brown eyes scolding and a small hint of mirth in her voice. "Just watch, the deck will be a complete mess in ten minutes flat."

He doesn't listen to her, because what's life without a little fun? They've made plenty of messes before, this one shouldn't be any different.

It happens when Luffy knocks a bucket over and paint as blue as the sky goes splattering across his ankles and seeps itself into his sandals. He laughs until his sides ache and goes running about the deck leaving smudged footprints in his wake. Usopp tries to move the cans to a safer place and Nami is damage control, trying to settle the situation, until Zoro "accidentally" spills paint on her with one of Usopp's paintbrushes. It's a dashing, royal purple and slashes it's way across her chest, droplets dotting her collarbone.

"Hey!"

"Oops," he gives a wolfish grin. "sorry. Maybe you should cover up mo-"

His words are cut off as she cracks her knuckles above his head and smears three black lines across each side of his face. Zoro reels back and rubs the growing lump atop his skull and hisses.

"Ha!" Nami's grin is especially wicked and she sticks her tongue out. "It suits you, pussy!"

"Wha-" Zoro touches the markings on his face and growls deep in his throat, face unnaturally flushed. It's funny, seeing him so uncomfortable and Nami cackles like the devil as he goes chasing after her. He catches up to her in no time and tries to make her slip into a pile of sunset orange from a bucket on its side. The swordsman stumbles back suddenly as a bright, vibrant pink is slammed into his back by Usopp, who has abandoned all hopes of reclaiming order and throws himself into the chaos of rainbow splattered nakama. His actions make Sanji burst into a fit of laughter and the cook wraps an arm around the sharpshooter and pulls him close, knees bent and face glowing.

Robin is a safe distance away from the ongoing war, sitting in a lawnchair and reading her book. She occasionally glances up and laughs softly under her breath, love in her pretty blue eyes. Chopper has taken refuge in his study, the paint makes his fur stick together and it takes hours for the sticky substance to get cleaned out. Franky gives up on trying to salvage the Sunny and takes a seat by Robin, laughing in that special way that sounds like glorious mountain echoes.

Brook goes traipsing through the disorder and takes Nami by the hand. Before she can protest, he spins her wildly in a circle straight into Luffy, who embraces her as they fall back into a puddle of apple green and eggshell white. She can hear Brook laughing mischievously at the two of them before bounding away and aiding Zoro in retailiation against Sanji and Usopp, armed with brushes and tubes of paint.

"Luffy!" Nami doesn't have the heart to be angry, face hot with embarrassment. She tries to squirm out of his grip, her efforts proving fruitless. "Let me go!"

"Nope!" He laughs and hugs her tighter. She pokes him in the ribs and his arms loosen slightly. It's enough to have Nami sit up and grab a nearby bucket, and she splashes him with a dazzling red.

Red.

Her heart rockets up in her throat, it lodges itself tightly in her windpipe, making it very hard to breathe all of a sudden. They lay there frozen in a single space with her blood roaring in her ears.

The sudden burst of his laughter takes her by surprise as he stands and picks her up, back onto her feet.

"It's okay," Luffy says, and he means it too, with his eyes locked on hers and his voice steady. Nami feels herself falling into reassurance as he grins, supernovas explode into fragmented, shimmering dust when he pulls her into another hug.

"Really, I'm fine."

If she was speechless before, she certainly is now, because something cold and _wet_ goes sliding across her neck and onto her shoulders. Nami flinches as Luffy leaves a trail of turquoise from the small tube of paint he hid in his pocket. The moment is broken and splintered sweetly as she yells and he nearly falls over laughing, his smile threatening to burst from his face in all of his optimistic glory. They go running and sliding across the deck, falling into puddles of paint and smashing into one another, their joy loud and boisterous on the sea.

Eventually, Nami finds Usopp on his back, trying to catch his breath and she kneels down next to him.

"See? I told you!" She gestures wildly to the mess they've made and Usopp merely shrugs, a streak of green across his forehead and Nami brushes away her ginger strands now streaked with dark blue.

"Accidents will happen," Usopp says simply, and Nami wholeheartedly agrees.


End file.
